Gender differences in faculty rank among academic physicians: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveMany studies have analysed gender bias in academic medicine; however, no comprehensive synthesis of the literature has been performed. We conducted a pooled analysis of the difference in the proportion of men versus women with full professorship among academic physicians.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesMEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Education Resources Information Center and PsycINFO were searched from inception to 3 July 2020.Study selectionAll original studies reporting faculty rank stratified by gender worldwide were included.Data extraction and synthesisStudy screening, data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers, with a third author resolving discrepancies. Meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects models.ResultsOur search yielded 5897 articles. 218 studies were included with 991 207 academic physician data points. Men were 2.77 times more likely to be full professors (182 271/643 790 men vs 30 349/251 501 women, OR 2.77, 95% CI 2.57 to 2.98). Although men practised for longer (median 18 vs 12 years, p<0.00002), the gender gap remained after pooling seven studies that adjusted for factors including time in practice, specialty, publications, h-index, additional PhD and institution (adjusted OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.20). Meta-regression by data collection year demonstrated improvement over time (p=0.0011); however, subgroup analysis showed that gender disparities remain significant in the 2010–2020 decade (OR 2.63, 95% CI 2.48 to 2.80). The gender gap was present across all specialties and both within and outside of North America. Men published more papers (mean difference 17.2, 95% CI 14.7 to 19.7), earned higher salaries (mean difference $33 256, 95% CI $25 969 to $40 542) and were more likely to be departmental chairs (OR 2.61, 95% CI 2.19 to 3.12).ConclusionsGender inequity in academic medicine exists across all specialties, geographical regions and multiple measures of success, including academic rank, publications, salary and leadership. Men are more likely than women to be full professors after controlling for experience, academic productivity and specialty. Although there has been some improvement over time, the gender disparity in faculty rank persists.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020197414.

Trends in Self-citation Rates in High-impact Neurology, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry Journals

“…Seniority may account for gender differences in self-citation rate, as there are gender disparities in faculty positions and ranks [21][22][23][24] . To explore the effect of seniority, we investigated self-citation rates by academic age and gender (2016-2020).…”

Female Representation: Australian Diabetes and Endocrinology Societies

“…Similarly there are less women on editorial boards of scientific journals in endocrinology, with women representing 20% of editors in chief and 31.6% of all associate editors ( 9 ). It is likely that the underrepresentation of women in these prestigious roles is reinforced by the underrepresentation of women in academic medicine ( 5 ).…”

“…The proportion of female doctors is increasing, however the representation of females in leadership positions of scientific societies and academia is lagging and females have been underrepresented as presenters at medical conferences (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Of physician specialities, endocrinology has one of the highest proportions of female workforce, with females representing 55% of consultant endocrinologists in Australia (7).…”

“…There is no publicly available data on the rates of academic versus clinical endocrinologists in Australia and the female representation among academic endocrinologists (physician with university appointment) in Australia. However, recent meta-analytic data demonstrates the continued existence globally of a significant gender gap in academic medicine across all specialities ( 5 ).…”

A Woman’s Place Is in Theatre, but Are Theatres Designed with Women in Mind? A Systematic Review of Ergonomics for Women in Surgery

“…Initiatives aiming at how to strategically tackle gender equity among professionals, through networking and mentoring supported by societies and organisations, are in place [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ], but not much has been done to relieve the struggle commonly associated with long operations. There is evidence that female surgeons experience more discomfort in their bodies and their hands than their male colleagues [ 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”